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COVERAGE /
REVIEWS
Here
are some articles and news coverage about MJD, his
comedy, and The Intergalactic Comedy Hacienda.
STARWARS.COM
STAR 98.7 FM RADIO / LOS ANGELES
THE STAR WARS INSIDER
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
ESQUIRE MAGAZINE
For press
inquiries, media relations, and interview requests,
please contact MJD.
STARWARS.COM
"RICHARD CHEESE: STAR WARS SWINGS!" -
May 12, 2006
Richard Cheese: Star Wars
Swings!
May 12, 2006
The lounge-singer extraordinaire talks about
love, ladies, and the Modal Nodes Bith band.
Shocking as this may sound to some fans, lounge-singer
extraordinaire Richard Cheese never watched the Star Wars films
as a young lad, but instead when he was an older, wiser adult
playing a gig with his band in a cocktail lounge -- much like
Max Rebo and his bizarre-looking band mates.
"I never saw the Star Wars movies in theaters; I guess the whole
Star Wars thing passed me by the first time around," Cheese
confesses. "I mostly watched films like the Maltese
Falcon, Goldfinger, and anything with Frank, Sammy or Dino in
it. Then, a few years ago, I played at a hotel cocktail
lounge that had one of the Star Wars movies playing on a
big-screen TV, as sort of background eye candy. It looked
like a crazy heist flick, just like Ocean's 11. This gang
of good guys was trying to knock off the biggest casino in the
galaxy, the Death Star. So I had the rest of the movies
sent to my room, and I watched them between sets. I was
struck by the 'futuristic' vibe in the movies. I guess the
'Wars' take place in space or something. Not normally my
scene, but I dug the chick with the hair and the electric swords
-- those were swingin'. Oh, and the floating car was a
gas."
Once he saw the films, especially with the Modal Nodes Bith band
happily playing for Mos Eisley Cantina patrons, Cheese was
hooked. "When I saw that cantina scene, with the big band
playing, it really knocked me over," Cheese continues.
"What a great sound, what a happening bunch of cats, what giant
heads! That's my favorite scene in all the movies; I watch
that movie again and again, just to see that band playing.
It's dynamite. I'd love to see the full performance, not
just the two tunes that made it into the movie. Tell Dr.
Lucas to send me the footage, huh?"
Cheese's confession of being new to Star Wars fandom might be
easier to grasp when fans learn that the singer has only existed
less than a decade. The lounge-singer is actually the
alias for actor/comedian/singer Mark Jonathan Davis, who has
been writing, producing, and performing comedy novelty songs for
nearly 25 years, including tribute parodies like "The Star Wars
Cantina" and "The Phantom Medley." Working also as a
jingle singer, and doing guest stints on such TV shows as "News
Radio," "Batman: The Animated Series," and "The Man Show," Davis
has created many memorable singing characters over the years,
including network mascot Johnny Chimes at NBC Television, and
Paul the 55-year-old-intern, Shakespeare Man, and Bob Hope at
KROQ-FM/Los Angeles.
But his most recent incarnation of Richard Cheese, a lounge
singer who sings popular rock and rap songs in the Las Vegas
lounge-act style, is probably the most famous. As Richard
Cheese, Davis recruited a band and recorded lounge covers of
'90s alternative rock hits resulting in his first album, Lounge
Against the Machine, released in 2000. Four more records
followed: Tuxicity (2002), I'd Like a Virgin (2004), Aperitif
for Destruction (2005) and The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best
of Richard Cheese (2006). Cheese is featured in the Dawn
of the Dead movie soundtrack (2004), and has appeared on "Jimmy
Kimmel Live," "Opie & Anthony," Howard Stern, CNN, MTV, and on
NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly" as the show's house band.
Cheese has performed hundreds of concerts around the world,
including sellout shows in New York, Los Angeles, London, Las
Vegas, and sometimes Yavin.
Unlike his Cheese alter-ego, Davis is quick to point out that
he's been a fan of Star Wars since he was a kid. "I saw
the first Star Wars movie in Phoenix, Arizona when I was in
sixth grade," Davis says. "It had been in theaters for
about two weeks, but there were already kids in my school who
had seen it multiple times. By the end of that year, I had
seen it six times. This was before VCRs and videotapes, so
I didn't see it again for years. I remember a few years
later that the first Star Wars movie was broadcast on TV and
simulcast over a radio station, and we painstakingly recorded
the entire audio soundtrack on to cassettes. Even though I
didn't have a videotape of the movie, I still 'watched' Star
Wars by listening dozens and dozens of times, memorizing the
dialogue and sound effects over the years. I really became
an aficionado of the SFX for that first film. I even got
to meet Tomlinson Holman and Ben Burtt some years later!"
His love for the saga was so apparent that his childhood
classmates gave him an endearing nickname. "I was the
shortest kid in my class in elementary school, so I was
nicknamed Little Jawa at one point," Davis smiles. "I
accepted this dubious honor, and dressed as a Jawa for
Halloween, complete with small penlight flashlights attached to
my glasses frames for eyes."
As an adult, Davis showed his appreciation in other ways.
"I did a number of parody songs about Star Wars, the most
popular one being 'The Star Wars Cantina,' a spoof of Barry
Manilow's 'Copacabana.' I released it in 1996, around the
time of the Special Edition movies, and it became a big hit on
radio stations and among fans. Then, when Episode I came
out, I did a parody medley called 'The Phantom Medley,' which
was lots of fun. This was before the mainstream Internet,
so it was folks like Dr. Demento who gave my parodies their
earliest airplay and support. Dr. Demento used to play
other Star Wars parodies, like Weird Al's 'Y-O-D-A,' and I think
it was great to learn that Star Wars fans and novelty-song fans
were part of the same audience. It gave me confidence to
know that I wasn't the only geek out there."
Even when he transforms himself into Richard Cheese, he still
likes to show his love for Star Wars. As Cheese, he has his own
distinct thoughts about the real theme of the films as only an
old-fashioned crooner could describe. "It's really about
the two chicks -- Princess Leia and Queen Amidala," Cheese
explains. "I think those two broads are what everyone was
fighting about. It's not about the galaxy or the Trade
Federation or freedom or peace; it's about the babes. Kill
my uncle and aunt, blow up my planet, cut off my hand, whatever
you want, just as long as I get the girl with the crazy hairdo
at the end. To quote Rodgers and Hart, 'Believe me sir I
much prefer the classic battle of a him and her.' Star
Wars isn't about war; it's about boy meets girl, boy loses girl,
boy travels around the universe and gets girl back. And
those girls are hot, well worth all the trouble and severed
limbs. And I don't care if you're Luke Skywalker, Ben
Kenobi, Darth Vader, or even the wrinkly, old Emperor: a
dame is a dame is a dame!"
In addition to his theories about love, ladies and Star Wars,
Cheese has a few changes he'd like to make to the classic
musical score. "I love a symphonic score as much as the
next guy, but I wish there was more lounge music in the Star
Wars movies," Cheese says. "Instead of 'Luke's Theme,' how
about playing 'The Summer Wind?' Every time Darth Vader
enters a scene, play 'When Joanna Loved Me' or 'Call Me
Irresponsible.' And R2-D2 and C-3PO should be accompanied
by the song 'Tangerine' every time. And of course, Han
Solo's theme should undoubtedly be 'Come Fly with Me,' right?
But don't change that cantina band, man! Those guys
groove!"
Speaking of the cantina, Cheese is quick to point out that
Wuher, the Mos Eisley bartender might just be one of the most
underappreciated characters in the galaxy. "That Mos
Eisley bartender deserves some sympathy," Cheese says. "He
had no wait staff, no bouncers, no help whatsoever. I've
played in dives like that, and it's no picnic for the employees.
So, please, remember to tip generously, no matter what planet
you're on, because those barkeeps are working hard for you alien
folk. And tip the band...they need extra money to pay for
their giant hats."
When Cheese performs in front of his fans, he can't help but pay
tribute to the saga on occasion, often reminding his audience to
not take the dark side too seriously. "Last year, we
started playing the Imperial March theme in our live Las Vegas
shows," Cheese says. "But, instead of doing it in a
serious way, we bounce it with a jazzy swing arrangement.
I think it's a metaphor for what happened to the evil Empire.
They were stiff and uptight, and the Rebellion loosened them up
a bit. That's a good example for all of us; whether you're
a Sith Lord, an Ewok, or that way-too-skinny chick on Kamino (I
prefer some meat on my clones), music is the one thing that
everyone likes, no matter which side you're on. Good
music, especially lounge music, surrounds us, penetrates us, and
binds the galaxy together. And if your horn players have
giant heads, all the better."
To find out more about Richard Cheese and his music, visit his
official site
www.richardcheese.com.--- Interview for
starwars.com by Bonnie Burton
Is that Wedge Antilles---or
MJD?
Click
here to see the article at the starwars.com website.
Special thanks to Bonnie Burton at LucasFilm!
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STAR 98.7 FM RADIO / LOS ANGELES
"The Star Wars Cantina" - May 20, 1999
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In May 1999,
in conjunction with the release of "The Phantom Menace" in
theatres, MJD was interviewed about his "Star Wars Cantina"
parody on the Ryan Seacrest & Lisa Foxx afternoon radio
show on Star98.7/Los Angeles. Star98.7 played the
song numerous times that week.
Click
here to listen to an MP3 recording of the conversation.
During
this interview, MJD was talking on a payphone in the back of a
restaurant!
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THE STAR WARS INSIDER
"SKYROCKERS" - Summer 2003, issue #69
In its Summer 2003 issue,
the official magazine of the The Star Wars fanclub,
The Star Wars Insider,
published a list of "Cantina, Lounge Lizards" on page 43:
Mark Jonathon Davis -- Star Wars Cantina /
The Phantom Medley
Hey! They spelled MJD's name wrong!
Felgercarb!
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Flashes:
Parody Of The Week" - 199?
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"Parody Of The Week" - What's that sci-fi tune with the salsa beat on the radio these
days? It's "The Star Wars Cantina," a spoof written by
writer/producer/singer and self-proclaimed Star Wars
geek Mark Davis. Herewith, an excerpt (sung to the tune of Barry
Manilow's "Copacabana").
--- column written by
Erin Richter.
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Mock
Menace" - July 9, 1999
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"The
Phantom Medley" - Comedian
Mark Jonathan Davis scored a radio hit two years
ago with "The Star Wars Cantina," set
to the tune of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." Now he's done "Medley" (available via
mich.ideatown.com), which
borrows from 16 different tunes. Davis is
planning on a holiday follow-up, "Let's Kill
Jar Jar Binks for Christmas." --- column written by Jeff Jensen.
Click
here
to see complete column.
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ESQUIRE
MAGAZINE
"Stairway To
Heaven: Is This The Greatest Song Of All Time?" -
November 1991
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"Stairway To Heaven: Is This the Greatest Song of All Time?"
If you're between seventeen and fifty and "Stairway" is not
your favorite tune, you're probably too out of it to care that
rock's eight-minute miracle turns twenty this month.
by Karen Karbo
Led Zeppelin's fourth album crept into record stores the week of
November 8, 1971. The only reference to "Stairway to
Heaven" in the ROLLING STONE review said that "some stuff [on
the album] might actually be called shy and poetic if it didn't
carry itself off so well ('Stairway to Heaven' and 'Going to
California')..." The earliest, most serious attention paid
to the song appeared in college newspapers and obscure music
rags. A writer for "The Gold Coast Review" based in
Connecticut said the song "builds gracefully from a beautiful
acoustic backing to a fast-moving electric finish. With
each change you wait for the explosion and it very gratifyingly
comes... 'Stairway to Heaven' is the best musical representation
of an orgasm I've ever heard."
...
"STAIRWAY" PARODIES
"7-Eleven"
(Lyrics by Mark Davis and Rob "Iceman" Izenberg (c) 1990
Screwball
Productions and Earthquake Entertainment)
There's a lady who goes to the store that won't close
and she's shopping at 7-Eleven
Down the aisle she sees Ding Dongs, beer, and Friskies
and a Snickers really satisfies her
Oooh oooh oooh
Oooooooh, make my Slurpee
(excerpted from Esquire
magazine)
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Read more about MJD at
www.richardcheese.com and
www.karmacreative.com.
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